


Caught In the Rain

by FictionalKnight (Northern_Star)



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-24
Updated: 2009-06-24
Packaged: 2017-11-17 08:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Star/pseuds/FictionalKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why must it always rain, Dick wonders, when he finds himself between addresses?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught In the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Set just after Nightwing: Year One
> 
> This is for the _"Relative Values: Family"_ prompt from my [cliché bingo card](http://pics.livejournal.com/fictionalknight/pic/000crpw3).

It's late, and the night is cold and rainy. Dick has spent the last half hour crouched down on the rooftop of an old gothic-style building, next to a big, menacing-looking gargoyle, hidden from the rain under one of the creature's large stone wings, silently cursing his new costume for not having a cape. He'd be quite a bit drier if it had one. Not that he really misses his old costume - at least, he tries very hard not to - but that cape sure could have come in handy tonight.

Why must it always rain, Dick wonders, when he finds himself between addresses?

There are plenty of places where he could go tonight, he knows, but in all of them there's someone who'll lecture him about something, and he'd rather stay out in the rain than have to listen to them. He has no need for anyone to point out his wrongs, or to tell him how he should be righting them.

There's still some money in his bank account, of course. He used to be rich, after all. Or rather, he used to be a rich man's son. But all of that ended when he was "emancipated" - quite abruptly - a few weeks ago. He's been on his own since and it hasn't exactly been easy at all.

Staying at a hotel for a while has made a dent in his savings and being that his future is more than a bit uncertain, spending all his money on accommodations doesn't seem like the smart thing to do. He has to eat at some point, too.

Of course, it's raining, and a roof over his head wouldn't exactly be a luxury tonight...

Dick is still juggling with his thoughts when, all of a sudden, a shadow sweeps over him, blocking out the light; blocking out everything.

When he looks up, sure enough, the shadow has eyes. And a big black bat on its chest.

Batman.

Dick tries to keep from groaning, but fails. Batman is the very last person he wanted to run into tonight. The very last person he wants to run into any night. These days, anyway...

"You shouldn't stay out in the rain," says Batman. His tone is neither commanding, nor menacing, but it's definitely his standard Batman voice.

"What do you care?" Dick spits out. The bitterness in his words betrays the anger, the resentment in his heart.

"Come home," Batman replies, but this time the voice isn't that of the vigilante, making him sound oddly out of character.

Dick can't help but frown, because this really isn't like Batman at all. He opens his mouth to answer something, but nothing comes to mind. Or rather, too many things come to mind and he's not sure which one of these things he's supposed to say first.

Batman bends down a bit and extends his hand to his former partner. Once more he says, "Come home," in that same voice that's neither the Dark Knight, nor the happy, carefree playboy. A voice that is just Bruce; one that even when he was still living at the Manor, Dick never heard all that often in the first place.

Mouth still hanging slightly open, Dick looks from Batman's face to the hand he has extended toward him. He still doesn't know what he should say, and he can't decide what to do. Take the man's hand and pretend that nothing ever happened, that everything is all right, that he forgives him somehow? Dick doesn't know that he can do that, because everything isn't all right, and it's going to take a lot more than this to forgive, let alone forget.

For a moment, Batman stands motionless, just waiting. When it looks like Dick is never going to take his hand after all, he straightens up.

Before the man's hand falls back to his side, Dick reaches up and grabs it. Tightly. Like it's a safety line, and he's holding on for dear life.

Pulling himself to his feet, Dick mumbles, "Didn't think that place was still home."

Batman's lips twitch a little upward, then down, and he finally manages an, "Of course it is," in an unexpectedly hoarse tone, his voice now no longer that of any of his personas.

They walk side by side to where the Batmobile is parked, neither of them saying anything. They don't speak as they get inside it either, nor when Batman starts the engine and the car jumps to life. They've still not said a word by the time they turn the corner that leads to the secret entrance to the Batcave.

Finally out of the Batmobile, Batman grabs a clean towel from the pile that sits on a workbench and tosses it to Dick, before heading over to his array of computers and screens.

"Thanks," Dick says and he wipes his face and hair with the towel. "For everything, I mean..."

Batman doesn't look, and simply answers with a noncommittal grunt that Dick takes for an acknowledgement. It's not a lot, but it'll do. Actually, Dick is glad that there won't be any lecturing. Not that Batman doesn't lecture - heaven knows he does - but this time Bruce probably understands that he's not in any position to lecture Dick about anything.

As he heads off to the staircase that leads back up to the house, Dick takes a last look over his shoulder at Batman, typing away at his keyboard, filing reports on the events of the evening, falsely oblivious to what's going on around him.

Just like old times, Dick thinks, smiling wistfully. Of course it's not exactly like old times - too much has changed now - but for tonight he doesn't mind pretending that things are still the same, that he's still Robin, and that Batman still needs him.

Reality will probably hit him like a fist in the face tomorrow morning, but tonight it really doesn't matter. He's home.

=> End.  



End file.
